Conway, A Place to Call Home
What do you get when you combine a small town with a very progressive city government, three colleges, four interchanges with a major interstate, and the largest community fair in the state? The 55,000 people that live in Conway call this “Home’. The Houston based magazine “Where to Retire” recently named Conway in their top 5 places to retire.
So what’s happening in Conway that makes this city so special?
Conway’s Local Economy
To start let’s look at the economics and demographics of the city.
- Retail revenue doubled over the past 10 years going from $500k in
1996 to over $1.1 billion in 2006.
- In 2003 the Conway Commons opened highlighting fine merchants like
Kohl's, Belk's, Target, Best Buys, Old Navy, Home Depot, Kirkland's,
and TJ Max to name a few.
- Diverse set of employment with high tech companies like Acxiom,
manufacturing such as Snap-on, Kimberly Clark, Rock Ten, IC Corporation, and Virco.
- Finance institutions include American Management Corporation, Home Bank.
- Service companies include Conway Corporation, Nabholz.
- In the northern part of Faulkner county (which is the county
Conway is in) there natural gas excavation that is projected to add
9,600 jobs and 5.5 million dollars increase to the economy as a result.
Downtown Conway
The downtown area of Conway has always been quaint, clean, and a great
place to shop for jewelry, antiques, or just walking around and relaxing.
The recent renovated downtown area with its 1920’s style street lights is
one example of the nostalgic atmosphere. There is also an amphitheater in
the center of town that provides bands and other entertainment at no
charge. Recently fine dinning establishments and other types of merchants
a moving back to the downtown area.
Education in Conway
The Conway schools have some of the highest education district scores
in the state. High school graduates don’t have to travel far as Conway
is called the City of Colleges for three good reasons. The University
of Central Arkansas which just celebrated its 100th anniversary and 12,300
students. Hendrix College is a private liberal arts school with 1,100
students, and Central Baptist College has 504 students.
Fun in Conway
Conway also offers fun for the kid in all of us. There are three
country clubs, with golf courses, tennis, pool, parks, and restaurants.
There are two multi-screen movie theaters, museums, roller rinks, good
restaurants, shopping, and all sorts of sports and outdoor activities.
We are also only 35 miles north of Little Rock which has museums, minor
league baseball teams, ice skating rinks, theaters, and other cultural
activities. Take a short car or motorcycle ride out of town and see some
of the most beautiful views of mountains, rivers, or farm land.
Toad Suck Daze
We also have Toad Suck Daze which is fun for all the family. There are
special events for kids but all the events are family fun.
What is "Toadsuck?" It is a three day family festival that brings nationally
known entertainment, amusement rides, food, antique, and specialty vendors
for all. The name Toadsuck, dates back to an old legend when steamboats
traveled the Arkansas River, they could only travel when the water was at
the right depth. When it wasn't, the captains and their crew had to wait
on the river at what is currently the Toad Suck Lock and Dam. The sailors
waited at the local tavern and "sucked on beer bottles 'til they swell up
like toads."
Couple all this with great property, utility, and tax costs then you
will know why Conway and the surrounding communities of Greenbrier, Vilonia,
Mayflower, is a special place to live and work.
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 Article Courtesy of:
The Tobey Team, Janet & Bill Tobias
Crye-Leike Realtors® in Conway
tobeyteam.crye-leike.com
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